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Ghostbusters preview in London proves popular with licensees and retailers

Licensees, retailers and other partners were recently given a much-anticipated taster of the upcoming release of the new Ghostbusters film!

Over 170 visitors attended the Picturehouse Central in London on January 12th, where the film's director Paul Feig entertained the crowd with six short video clips featuring scenes from the rebooted film.

According to Rocket Licensing, the strong response to the preview of the film suggests that there will be 'powerful momentum' behind the licensing campaign for the film.

Rob Wijeratna, joint MD of Rocket Licensing, said: "The packed house says it all – this is the movie event that will define the second half of 2016 for many licensees and retailers. They, and we, can hardly wait for July."

Rocket Licensing, who was appointed by Sony Pictures to manage the UK and Ireland licensing campaign for the Ghostbusters brand, has already witnessed accelerated growth in licensee signings.

Check out a selection of photos from Sony and Rocket Licensing's Ghostbusters event in London below!

Paul Feig's Ghostbusters film stars Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan and Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann, and is set for release on July 15th 2016.

The high-profile reboot of Ghostbusters in July 2016 is set to be one of the biggest film events of the year. A strong cast, along with returning characters such as Mr. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Slimer, as well as the familiar logo and favourite catchphrases will be driving the new film and the long-term licensing campaign, managed by independent licensing company Rocket Licensing on behalf of Sony Pictures Entertainment. An already powerful UK licensee list totals 23 companies in categories ranging from wheeled toys and socks, to babywear and seasonal confectionery. More recent additions range from publishing, calendars, cards, apparel and 3D lights. Global categories include toys, construction, video games and costumes.

Two years after the all-female reboot of the beloved 1980s franchise arrived, original star Dan Aykroyd is now promising that a true Ghostbusters 3, starring the three surviving OG ‘busters, is on its way. Many thought the death of Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler, in 2014 had put paid to a proper reunion, but Aykroyd’s comments suggest that we can look forward to him teaming up with Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson in the near future.

While speaking on The Big Interview With Dan Rather, the man fans know as Dr. Ray Stantz, the heart of the Ghostbusters agreed with Rather’s wording that he was talking about making a “full-blown third Ghostbusters,” with an unknown writer already currently working on the script. Obviously, Aykroyd wouldn’t let on to anything about story details, but he did tease that it’ll try and recapture what worked so well about the original films while giving it a “21st century” twist.

“I think we got a story that’s gonna work. It’s being written by a really goo…

Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock; Columbia Pictures (3); Everett Collection
If so, there's good news from the world of Gozer — there’s a new Ghostbusters movie in the works!

Entertainment Weekly has learned exclusively that Jason Reitman will direct and co-write an upcoming film set in the world that was saved decades previously by the proton pack-wearing working stiffs in the original 1984 movie, which was directed by his father, Ivan Reitman.

“I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans,” Reitman says. “This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ‘80s happened in the ‘80s, and this is set in the present day.”